Insect catcher



L. PA'rToN `INsEcT cATcHER Filed Apr.

25, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Feb. 20, 1923. y

I.' II

Patented Feb... Z, 1923.

LUTHER Perron, or Binivrrne'nnrlr, ,manninna."` l

msnen Geremia.

Application tied April. 25, 1922. serial No. 556,527(v To -aZZ who/m, t may' concern.' f

`erson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new `and useful `Improvements in Insect Catchers, or' which the following is a speciication. f

My"f invention relates to insect catchers,v and' particularly to that type' in which a wheel' frame is provided `to carry a; pairy of suspended troughs adapted to be passed under the limbs of the plants to be treated while the foliage of the plant is beingv agi-4 tated to cause the insects thereon to fall ofi' and be caught in the pans on'each side.

More particularly the objectot my present invention is to improve certain 'features of the insect catcher' forming the subjectl matter of Letters Patent issued tome on December 81st, 1918, No. 1,289,250, wherein l show an inverted U-shaped frame vertically disposed'and having supporting wheels at each side and insect catching troughs yieldably mounted between the frame legs, the frame overhead being 'connected in offset re-v lation to the shafts or draft rigging to enable it to be drawn by horse or mule walking on one side of the row 01": plants to be treated.

One vobject of my present `invention isto substitute for the rigid frame shown in prior invention a frame divided into halves which are connectedY to a steering lever by means oir' which the wheelsy may be swungto right or'left of the line of draft to- 'facilitate the turning of the machineat the end of the row and t-he guiding of the machine along the row independently of the deviation of the draft animal from `a straight line.

My present inventionr contemplates thatthissteering lever for the frame members shall project rearwardly beyond the troughs in convenient position to be handled bya man walking down the `row behind and drawing the draft animal.

A `further feature of my present invention is to simplify and improve the manner of mountin'gthe catching troughs on the frame so that the troughs are Vfree to 'yield outwardlywhile being.l normally held in parallelism. This I accomplish by a much simplied rigging over the disclosure in myl prior patent.

i Inasmuch as my'pre'sent invention is an improvement on myfprevious patented machine', I Ahave omitted from the drawinm v and description all of these `'features of. i

patentedV machine not essential to `the eX- planatlon .of thosee'atureswhich my prese. ent inveifitionl relatesnto. Forthis reason the x `drawings do not show theiplant agitating devices nor `appliances v'oryraising or low-' j ering or otherwise manipulating'the troughs, all such features lbeing clearly shown and f described in my patent aforesaid..V

Referring tothe drawings `which forni-a trates'mypresent invention in its preferred embodiment only :-v

. f-Fig.' 1 is a plan view of an insect catcher l70 portion ofthe iframe.

v Fig. 3. is across-sectional view takenon the lineS-B ot Fig. 2. v

Fig. et isa side elevation of 1., i Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional` view. u taken on the line 5,-5 of 4C.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of Fig. 5; and`80 Fig. 7 isa cross-'sectional view taken on. l the line-Telf of Fig.y G,A andfshowing 'the' j trough rocking angularly ot the support-ingy iirame.= "v

Similar reference numerals refer to simi# 85 larparts throughout the drawings. j 'y nthe embodiment of my iyent'ion illus I trated in the drawings, I show a .tophori .Zonta-l'crossv bar 1 overhanging. at oneiside ybeyond'the'vertical side 'frames 2 and. 3 90 andhaving attached thereto near itsfcenter draft rigging (not shown) is co-nne ':ted.lr The shaft 4 which connects-tothebar `1 neat". thecentercof'thelatteris braced to;the side 95 frame 2 by abar .6: which is bent outwardly and downwardly and, suitablypattached to the side 'frame -2 'near its-lower end. 1 Each l side frame L 'and -3 carries on itsouter side y an axle 7 lon which a wheel 8 is'mounted, and, 100` v"near the'lower end of its; forward edge-l N provide aslot Quithrough "which a bolt `9- y. f

passes freely and' is made fast to a substane, p i

tially 'horizontal'. trough suppor'tingfbar. 10.

Each bolt 9 prefjectsoutwardly beyond its 105 respective frame 2 @r3 there to receive a coil spring 11- which lsurrounds 'the-bolt .and is"` held under ytension between the frame'and a washer 12 held on Athe bolt `by aunutl-S.

nach bar 1o is normniylheid eatfagainagas 1,10'

respective side 'frame y2 Vor 3 andflbyitsf spring-bolt aud byu 'vertical holderiron 14 having its ends 1 5 bent outwardly and laterally to engage the rear edge and outer tace of' its respective side :trarne 2 or 3, and to be secured thereto by bolts or rivets 16. "E he vertical body portion of the bar 14h is rounded and disposed so that its axis lies in a plane of the adjacent rear edge ot the side fra-ine 2 or 3 as by this arrangement the bar 10 can roel; angularly in a horizontal plane between the bai' 14 and the trame as is indicated in Fig. 7, so as to permit the rear ends or the bars 10 to swing apart against the springs 11 which would then be compressed by the drawing oi the bolts 9 inwardly through the side iframes. is soon as a bar 10 is released, its spring holt will swing it bacl: against and hold it parallel with the inside tace of its respective side traine. l pivot to each side bar 10 a trough 1T by ineans of strap hinges 18, these hir s being disposed with their joint near the upper edge ot the bar 10 so that the troY i inounted thereon can be swung up into v tical position against the sides ot' the traine. Each trough is indented at 19 to clear the bar 14. and avoid engagement therewith when the pan is swung upwardly. The rear end oi each pan is supported by a chain 20 conn nected at its upper end to a bracket 21 near the top ot adjacent side trarne and at its lower end attached to a clip 22 tast on the rear end of the pan supporting bars 10. The troughs are thus hingedly supported on the bars 10 which in turn are pivotally and laterally adjustably supported en the bolts 9 and are held vieldingly in position by the upper ends 23 bent inwardly at right angles and each connected adjacent to the bend by its respective vertical pivot bolt 2d to the top bar 1. Each angles end 23 carries a depending stud or rivet pin 25 adapted to be received in an elongated. slot 26, one ot' which is provided at each end of the 'l'head 27 on the steering` lever 28, which is pivotally connected to the traine by a vertical pivot bolt 29 passing down through the bar l. and through the center of the T -head 27 and through the center of a strap 30, which has its central portion 31 underlying the T- head depressed. l bolt the strap 30 in spaced relation to the topl bar by means of bolts 32 which lare passed down through side lugs 33 on the top bar 1, and at their lower ends are passed through the ends ot an arcuate supporting bar 311- which is riveted to the strap 30 at each end and project rearwardly therefrom so as to support the steering lever 28. rlhe forward ends of the support bar projects beyond the strap 3,0 suiiiciently to receive the forward bolts 32, and spacer sleeves 35 are interposed on each bolt 32 tween the bar 34 and the lugs 353 so as to i/ieaiae hold the strap spaced suiliciently troni the bar 1 to permit the upper ends 23 ot the side traine to horizontally between thein and yet torni rigid top cross member tor the machine. The handle 28 projects rearwardly beyond the troughs in position to be grasped and convenientlyv manipulated by a driver walking on one side of the machine in line with the draft animal. By swinging the hand lever to the left or right the T- head acting through the walls of its slots 26 on the pins 25 will swing the angled ends oif the side trames like cranks in opposite directions, causing both side trames and their wheels to in parallelism, about the pivot bolts 24"., and in this manner the machine can be steered and the wheels cut about freely to faiilitate making the turns at the end ot rows. The lever it is swung baclr and forth rides on the support bar 34 which thus relieves its pivot bolt 29 of the duty of supporting the lever. is the side :traines 2 and 3 are swung about their vertical aXes the wheels, troughs and plant agi- 'ating mechanism (not shown) all swing together, the spacing between the inner edges of the troughs not being changed as they remain parallel throughout.

Having thus described iny invention7 what l. claim as: new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz* 1. jin insect catcher comprising' an arched wheel traine, comprising side members each carrying a wheel axle and a trough and having an upper angled end, ineans to pivotally connect sai-d angled upper ends to the top cross member o' the traine by vertically disposed pivots,` and steering rigging connecting the lfree ends of said angled portions of the traine sides.

2. 1n an insect catcher, a trarne comprising a horizontal top portion, means to connect draft rigging thereto, side trames having angled top ends which are pi-votally connected to said top traine, and a steeringlever pivotally connected to the top traine and having' a lost-motion connection to each end of the top angled portion of both sido trainee, and means to mount a wheel and trough on each vertical side of the frame.

3. ln an insect catcher, aninverted U- shaped frame comprising a horizontal top ineinber and ineans to connect a draft rigging thereto, upright'side inernbers each havn ine' its upper end angled, a strap having the angled upper ends of the sides interposed between it and the top frame ineinber, means to pivot the angled upper ends or" the sides` for horizontal play between the top rneinber and the strap, means to connect the top ineniber and strap in` spaced relation, a steering lever having a T-head pivoted centrally to the top member and having a lost-motion connection between its jects rearwardly of the troughs, and a supporting bar for the lever is attached to said frame.

5. ln an insect catcher, an inverted U- shaped frame comprising vertical sides, each having a Wheel aXle and a trough mountedv thereon, a Wheel'mounted on each axle, each side member having its top end bent at right angles inwardly" over the trough, al

top bar overlying and a strap underlyingthe top ends ot' the sides, bolts pivotally connecting said top ends ybetween the to-pybar and strap, a steering lever having a T- head centrally pivoted betweenthe. topbar and strap, lost-motion connections between' each arm ot the-Tehead and the ad]acent angled top' end of a side member, and means to rigidly connect the top bar and bottom strap in spaced relation.

6. In an insect catcher, an arched frame.

comprising vertical side members, troughs,

y and means to mount a trough oneach side `member comprising a pivot pin for the trough mounted near the forward end ot the side member and laterally adjustable' therethrough, spring means to oppose an inward lateral movementy of the bolt and trough, and a guide adapted to holdfthe trough in position to rock horizontally about the rear edge of'its side supporting member against the action of said spring'.` i 7. In an insect catcher, an arched frame, f. a trough supporting bar having a pivot at y ture.

each side ofthe frame on which `it adapted to swing vertically, said pivot being laterally movable, spring means to yoppose said movement, a guide to hold thebar in position to rock horizontally about the rear edge'of the.rame,and a trough sup-` ported by saidbar. n i

8. ln an insect catcher, an arched frame, a trough supporting bar `pivoted at each -side to the trame Jfor verticalplay, alpivot for each barwhicli is laterally movable in the framespring"means to oppose `said pivots movementfa guide tol hold the bar inposition to rock about therear edge of the frame and yto be vertically adjustable, vand trough supported by said',v bary andy having-an offset portion to c learsaid guide'.` 9. ln an insect catcher,l an arched frame, 4having wide vertical side bars, a horizontal bar having fixed therein a pivot bolt, there being a holev near the lower lforward edge of each` side frame barl throughwvhichsaid l pivot bolt projects outwardlyv kfree for kaxial y andlimited angular play, a spring surround-` y l ing said bolt, means thereon to compress the spring, a verticallyelongated` guide bar attached to the rear i edge. 'of 'each yside lframe banand adaptedto hold the 'horij zontal bar free for Vertical and vpivotal play horizontally about'the rear edge yot; i'

.70 l, mounted on said horizontal supporting bar@ "l and a brace from saidr frame to the rear end the side frame bar, an insect trough hingedly of said latter bar. v 1

l/Vitness z rl In testimonyvvhereof I my. signay i i LUTER'PATTON] s 

